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Build Your Company’s Wealth With Effective Strategic Tax Planning

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A key element of building up and preserving your company’s wealth is strategic tax planning. For many, tax is their biggest expense. It, therefore, couldn’t be more important to focus on saving money when it comes to paying taxes. Why waste money on tax that you legally aren’t obliged to pay? This is where strategic tax planning comes into its own. So, how can you retain more wealth? Let’s take a closer look.

Why Lower Your Taxes?

The two ways you can put more money in your company’s pocket are to make more or to spend less. While you can put a lot of effort and time into promoting your company with no guarantees of success, you can, instead, focus on your strategic tax planning to guarantee better tax efficiency. A lot of people try to find ways of making more money, but a financial defense in the form of spending less is actually a better course of action.

How Does Strategic Tax Planning Help?

When you adopt strategic tax planning measures, you can keep more of the money your business makes. So, it makes sense to seize every available opportunity to save on the amount of tax you payout. There are many ways you can harness the power of legal Acts to write off expenses and to deduct payments that will reduce your tax burden considerably. Skilled tax planning consultants, such as the team at Corporate Business Solutions can advise you where these savings can be made.

How Does Wealth Management Work Alongside Strategic Tax Planning?

Wealth management and strategic tax planning work together for your business to yield maximum results. When you lower your company’s tax burden, you can achieve higher profits. As a result, you enjoy greater wealth. Experienced tax planning consultants can help you to use tax codes so that they work for you rather than against you.  With the greater profits that you reap, you can then plow that money back into your business, helping you to grow and expand, and, ultimately, to become even more profitable in the long-term.

Seeking Professional Advice

Many business owners, especially those running small businesses, view taxes as a necessary evil. They have a lot to do and a lot to think about when it comes to running an organization. Often, tax payments sit on the back burner and just get paid year after year. However, we all know that taxes are a major expense for any organization. This is why it makes sense to switch your focus and to put more effort and energy into strategic tax planning so that you can save money where it can most easily be saved. With the right tax planning advice, you can immediately reduce your tax burden and, so, instantly increase your company’s profitability. The Corporate Business Solutions team is here to offer you an expert strategic tax planning service that will lower the amount of tax you pay and boost your company’s profits in one fell swoop.

 

What is Your Business Leadership Style?

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he leadership of any organization is about creating direction, not only for the company itself but for its people. However, there isn’t a single style of successful business leadership. Which one works best for each company will depend on the people working for it, and which style helps them to be most productive.

One of the questions that Corporate Business Solutions consultants are often asked is what is the benefit of different styles of leadership, so here, we take a closer look at some of the most commonly seen styles and why they can prove to be successful.

Autocratic Leaders

Autocratic leaders rely on their own judgment and intuition rather than taking advice from other people. They can prove to be extremely effective when quick decision-making and immediate action are necessary. However, the autocratic leadership style is now seen as outdated, with many younger workers preferring autonomy in the workplace. Companies that wish to attract the most self-motivated and skilled workers should avoid this form of leadership and lean more towards a managerial style that allows workers to give their own input into the organization’s direction.

Laissez-Faire Leaders

This type of leader removes themselves intentionally from the process of making decisions, preferring to put their trust in their workers. While the laissez-faire leader stays in overall control, they allow their team to choosing the best way of getting the work done. This style of leadership works very well in creative organizations, but it requires a motivated and independent workforce. In a sector with little room for creativity and tight deadlines, a different leadership style may be more effective.

Transformational Leaders

This is a popular leadership style today, with these leaders having a strong organizational culture and leading their workers through their own example. They inspire and motivate their employees to work for the company’s overall success and encourage innovation that transforms the business’s future. While this is an effective form of leadership, it’s important to watch out for employee burnout if they’re always under pressure to perform.

Motivational Leaders

This leadership style is common in both business and sports, with leaders being able to motivate workers to go above and beyond. By using a range of methods including humor, positive reinforcement and getting to know their workers personally, these leaders are hands-on. Some workers, however, prefer more freedom and space as they are already very motivated.

Transactional Leaders

These leaders use the carrot and stick method of leadership in their company, with a long list of regulations and rules and a strong focus on results. Rather than motivating workers, these leaders focus on the structures and systems in place to reward employees. This style of leadership is very successful in major international corporations needing heavy oversight and in the military. It doesn’t work well in creative industries where experimentation is key to success.

Bureaucratic Leaders

This is an old leadership style relying on strict regulations and rules for the governorship of the organization. Bureaucratic leaders have power due to their position and not their personality and have less focus on individuals than on the organization’s structure. As a result, their company is run predictably and efficiently but without employee input, although their skills are well-used so they can make a strong impact and enjoy excellent job satisfaction.

Charismatic Leaders

A charismatic leader displays complete confidence in themselves while exhibiting a glowing personality capable of attracting followers with ease. They can easily connect with others and are dedicated to finding effective business solutions with an optimistic attitude that inspires employees. Although this leadership style is effective, the organization can suffer significantly if the leader takes time off or leaves the company completely.

Leading Effectively For Organizational Success

As you can see, there are many different leadership styles, each one with its advantages and disadvantages. The key to success is to determine the needs of both your organization and your workforce, then tailoring your managerial style to meet those needs.

 

 

Harness the Power Of A Business Valuation

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Sometimes, it becomes necessary for both shareholders and business owners to know the exact value of the organization. Whether you’re planning to sell your company, or sell or buy shares, getting an independent business valuation is often the best place to begin making well-informed decisions.

However, when it comes to finding out the value of the business, it’s surprisingly common for shareholders and business owners to be disappointed. Corporate Business Solutions consultant’s report that all-too-often, shareholders, and owners have an unrealistic idea of how much their company is worth. While sometimes, the valuation they receive will be higher than they anticipated, in far more cases, the figure is much lower than they expected. Why is this the case?

Inflated Valuations

Typically, shareholders and business owners have a highly inflated opinion of their company’s value. This is usually because they’ve read or heard about vast sums being paid out for successful businesses overseas and so apply the same multipliers. Yet, realistically speaking, these valuation parameters simply don’t apply automatically in their situation. Those parameters will be driven by several different company-specific factors that are also based on the industry and economy in which the company is operating.

The True Value of An Independent Business Valuation

Although receiving a business valuation that is lower than anticipated is always disappointing for those who expected a much higher figure, it can be a very valuable experience. It helps the business owner and shareholders alike to understand their true position and to gain fresh perspectives about the organization so they can implement changes that will bring about improvements.

In business valuation, the calculations that have been carried out will be fully explained. Not only that, but elaborations will be made on all the assumptions that underlie the applied parameters. For business owners, this will clarify the reasons for certain discount rates or multipliers being applied to reach the given conclusion of value.

Armed with this valuable information, it becomes more obvious what business owners need to do to boost their company’s value and, often with just a few simple adjustments, they can begin implementing those changes within weeks.

How Can A Business Valuation Impact on A Business Owner’s Decision-Making?

When receiving a business valuation that is lower than anticipated, many business owners decide that they should postpone the sale of their shares or company. Instead, they frequently choose to implement an action plan, starting to work deliberately on improving elements of their organization so that their company can soon be valued at a higher price.

Receiving a strong business valuation report always offers a business owner added value. If they are happy with the valuation they are given, they are armed with everything they need to succeed in negotiations with a prospective buyer. However, when they are dissatisfied with the conclusion of value they’ve received, they can use the report to derive action points that will go on to strengthen their business and improve its value with time.

Busting the Myths Of Strategic Tax Planning

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Some people have the misconception that when it comes down to strategic tax planning, this is just something that big companies need to worry about. Yet the time has come to bust that myth. Large organizations are indeed able to afford plenty of legal support to find ways of paying less tax. However, owners of small businesses can also reap identical benefits if they get the right professional advice.

Big Companies Have Financial Advantages

Major organizations have an extensive team of professionals on board, all strategizing to find the optimal tax saving solutions. This makes it easy for big businesses to leverage all of the benefits the tax code offers so they pay only the minimum tax required. Large companies also understand that, if they’re going to leverage the tax code’s benefits, they need to take action. They need to make a plan in advance and think ahead. This is something that SMEs can do too as long as they seek out professional help from companies like CBS-CBS.com. With the right kind of support, even small businesses can find strategies that allow them to ethically and legally lower their tax burden.

Making A Plan

Taking a higher-level look at your business’ tax strategy couldn’t be more important. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you may not have easy access to extensive advisory teams or expertise, and so it’s likely you’re overpaying when it comes to taxes. After all, no small business owner knows everything there is to know about tax code, so it stands to reason that you are probably making tax mistakes that could easily be avoided and are paying more tax than you’re ethically or legally required to pay. Here at Corporate Business Solutions, we are experts in the field of strategic tax planning for small and mid-sized companies, and we can help you to develop the right plan for your organization so you can reduce your taxation costs as much as possible.

Reviewing Your Tax Situation

The key to devising the right strategic tax plan for your business is to carry out an in-depth review of your tax and financial situation. Your operating structure and business goals need to be fully assessed while your revenue sources, previous years’ tax filings, and current tax plans need to be examined. Only then can a strategic plan be drawn up that suits your circumstances but that avoids any high-risk techniques.

When you engage in proactive strategic tax planning, you’ll be able to reap all of the benefits that big companies can enjoy but without needing to spend a fortune. With the right strategists on board, you’ll immediately save on your taxes and you’ll also benefit from the confidence of knowing you’re taking a strategic, instead of a reactive, approach to handling your taxes.

Now that we’ve busted the myth that only big companies can profit from strategic tax planning it’s time to take active steps for your business to reduce your tax burden and boost your bottom line.

Transitioning a Company To A New Owner – A Basic Checklist

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If you’re taking over a business from an existing owner, transitioning its ownership is the selling process’s final phase. You have closed the deal, the sale and purchase agreement is now signed, and the purchase price has been paid to the seller by the buyer. The last step is to complete the final few actions.

What Must Be Transferred To New Owners Once The Business Has Been Sold?

The previous owner must give their successor all key information that they will need to run their business. This includes:

  • Safe combinations
  • Alarm codes
  • Software, online access, and computer passwords and codes
  • Client list
  • The keys for the filing cabinets, vehicles, and buildings
  • Personal contact details
  • Manuals for the equipment
  • Distributor, vendor and supplier lists

Must The Business Entity Be Dissolved Following The Sale?

Any business structured as an LLC or corporation must be dissolved. This can be done by meeting with the partners or board members and passing a resolution to dissolve the business. The IRS must be notified via form 966, and Articles of Dissolution must be filed with the state in which the business was set up.

Taking Professional Advice

It’s important to take professional advice about how to proceed with the closure or transfer of a business. Professional consultants can advise about these steps, but take care to choose a team with extensive skill and experience in the industry. If you read Corporate Business Solutions reviews, you’ll see how important it is to choose the right business analysts who can offer you the vital advice that you need at this key stage of transferring a business.

Which Other Steps Must Be Taken To Close Or Transfer The Business?

An attorney will also be required to cease the operations of the business. Any business which was established as a sole proprietorship will automatically close after the completion of these steps:

  • All contacts for every contract assumed or assigned by the buyer must be notified
  • All creditors must be notified to explain the way in which bills will be settled
  • All business licenses or permits will be canceled along with other registrations and assumed business names
  • Cancellation notice must be given on the lease
  • Any insurance policies which aren’t being taken over by the buyer must be canceled
  • All bills must be paid off and all amounts receivable that aren’t being taken over by the buyer must be collected
  • All remaining assets must be distributed after the closure of the sale
  • The Employer ID number must be closed with the IRS
  • The business’s lines of credit must be closed
  • Final wages must be paid to employees together with payroll fees and taxes
  • All necessary tax forms must be filed

Completing The Post-Closing Process

With help from your broker, attorney and business consultant, you should have plenty of guidance to get you through the post-closing final process. Once all of these steps are complete, the deal is finalized. The employees can now be notified together with suppliers, customers, and the public. You’ll now be ready to move forward with your new venture.

 

Valuing Small Businesses to Determine Their Earning Potential

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When it comes to valuing small businesses, you need to do more than simply look at their tax records. You’ll also need to consider other factors like its location, the way it’s being managed, and its financial track record. If the management style and location are good, closely examining its financial history is a good indicator of the company’s earning potential.

When you’re keen to take over a business, you’ll need to know just how much income you can expect to gain. Looking at the company’s financial history will enable you to work out the amount the business actually makes as well as how much its owner is currently making for themselves when the business running costs are subtracted. The advice that you’ll find offered by consultants such as those at CBS-CBS.com includes the following four steps to work out the company’s earning potential.

1.Determining The SDE

The main earning metric used to value any small business is the SDE (Seller Discretionary Earnings). This is the company’s net income before any depreciation, taxes, interest expenses, amortization, and any other owner benefits. The majority of small business financial records tend to be compiled to minimize their tax burden. Therefore, those records are unlikely to fully reflect the true financial performance of the company. This means that the financials will need to be formally reconstructed or recast to determine an amount of income that more accurately reflects the company’s earnings.

2.Asking The Seller About Specifics

To obtain greater insight, it’s necessary to ask the business’s owner specific questions about the amount their business is currently making for them. This might include details about how the sales have been calculated, adjustments that have been made for tax purposes and breakdowns of operating expenses. You may worry about asking the seller for this kind of detail, but there is no reason for concern. Sellers should expect this information to be requested and, if they’re serious about wanting to sell, sharing their financial specifics should not be a problem.

3.Using Annual Gross Sales

A business’ annual gross sales may be worked out by examining its tax returns and financial statements. Usually, small business owners make between 10% and 20% of gross sales. When you determine the figure, remember that if you decide to buy the business you need to subtract the acquisition’s cost then add the costs involved in improving the business in the future.

4.Estimate SDE By Using The Business’s Selling Price

In general, if you examine the selling price of the business, you may be able to work out the SDE. So if, as an example, the asking price is $625,000, it’s safe to assume that the business owner’s SDE is around $250,000 to $312,500. If the business is losing money, don’t automatically assume that it isn’t worth buying the business. After all, you’re buying it for its future and existing earnings potential. It’s possible the business is making a loss because it is poorly managed, but its employees may be skilled, it may have a good reputation and a great location. If you buy the business then improve its management, it’s possible to boost potential earnings and create healthy profits over time.

Key Questions You Need To Ask Yourself When Planning A Business Exit Strategy

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If you’re planning your exit strategy from your small business, it can be difficult to know how to get started. While a lot of the planning is bound to be unique to your own company, there are some questions you could ask yourself that will help to get you started with developing your business exit plan and avoid some common mistakes.

Will You Want To Remain Involved With Your Business Forever?

When you start up a business, you’re probably not thinking about a time when you no longer want to be involved with it. However, even at the earliest stages of your endeavor, you need to be realistic about the future. Even when you dedicate your whole career to running one business, eventually you’ll probably be planning to retire at some point. So, you need to set up the business from its earliest days to ensure this will always be a possibility at some point. You should also revisit this question on a regular basis as your plans and life evolve to make sure that you’re moving towards the right goals for you.

What Financial Goals do You Have?

Everyone has their own financial goals that they hope to achieve. Even if you love your business idea, to be truly committed to it you will almost certainly have financial goals and needs that play into your business plans. Whatever yours are, they will have a key role to play in the outcome of your business exit strategy plan.

How Does Planning For Your Exit Work?

Working with professionals like Corporate Business Solutions Consultants is the best way to make the right decisions for you. You will have to work on executable items like deal structure and taxes, and you’ll also need an understanding of your company’s full value so you can work out all your available options.

Planning Ahead

If your business exit is looming on the horizon, it’s important to choose a strategy and stick to it. However, if you’ve got sufficient time to plan in advance you should usually set up for several options. The earlier you start planning, the more options you’ll have to pick from when you’re contemplating your company’s future.

No Single Perfect Solution

Just like all other aspects of running your own business, there’s no single perfect exit strategy that fits everyone. In the end, finding the right strategy for your business and you as an individual depends on several different factors. It may also develop or change as you move through your business’s lifecycle. The best thing to do, therefore, is to plan for your business exit strategy at as early a stage as possible. Seeking professional advice is always the best idea so you can devise a plan that meets all your unique requirements. When you think proactively about the process – how it could look, how it could be carried out, and what kind of consequences there could be – it’s more likely that you’ll achieve success when the time comes to part ways.

Acquisition Or Acquihire? Which Is Right For Your Business Exit Strategy?

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When you’re planning your business exit strategy, you’ll need to determine which approach is right for you. One of the most common options is a merger or acquisition in which your business will be bought by or will merge with another similar organization. There are a few advantages to this, but there are also a few downsides to bear in mind. One alternative is to consider becoming part of an Acquihire. This is a less common option, but it also offers a number of benefits. Here, we compare the two options so you can determine which one, if either, is right for your needs.

The Advantages Of A Merger Or Acquisition

When you opt for an acquisition or merger to exit your business, you could benefit from extra flexibility depending on who you decide to sell the company to. You may be able to have a more flexible involvement in terms of your time, or you may be able to have the freedom you need to walk away from the business.

One excellent thing about adopting this strategy is that you can negotiate how much you will sell your business for, whereas if you sell to the public, your company will be valued relative to others in your industry.

There is a major downside, though. It can be an extremely time-consuming and expensive process to sell your business in this way. In fact, evidence shows that 90% of businesses fail to get bought at all. Even if you achieve a successful sale, your company no longer exists in its original form, and there are numerous consequences linked to this action. It’s therefore always wise to have an alternative plan in place, just in case your dream of a merger or acquisition doesn’t pan out.

Becoming Part Of An Acquihire

An acquihire is different from a standard acquisition. With this exit strategy, a company will buy out your company purely to acquire its skilled or talented employees. While this means that your business legacy won’t endure in terms of its name, your employees will be provided for. You will, however, need to work on negotiating terms with the specific needs of your employees in mind.

One of the advantages of this type of exit strategy is that you’ll have the opportunity to negotiate terms so you’ll increase your profits as well as a positive future for the employees who have been loyal to you. You’ll also benefit from a neat exit from the business with no need to have any concerns about lingering obligations and responsibilities.

Again, however, there is a downside. Just like with a standard acquisition or merger, the process may be expensive, difficult and time-consuming. It may also be harder to find buyers who are interested in acquihire arrangements. Of course, you’ll also lose the business legacy that you have built up over the years.

Which Exit Strategy Is Right For You?

There are many different possible exit strategies for you to consider, and these are just two. If neither is a good choice, Corporate Business Solutions can help you to make a well-informed decision. You can get all the information you need to choose the right type of exit strategy to suit your own needs and the needs of your employees.

Cut Costs Not Corners

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At some point, you’re sure to need to cut costs in your business. Finding a way to maximize your profits is essential if you want your organization to be successful, and following through with your business plan is impossible if you’re weighed down with obsolete expenditures and wasteful spending.

Cutting costs is one thing, but you certainly don’t want to reduce the value you provide to clients and customers. Your business needs to stay effective, and so you need to take the right approach to cost-cutting. You need to find a way to maximize what you can get using the resources you have rather than trying to find a way to manage without the essentials. With this in mind, here are some strategies which could prove helpful.

Focus On Keeping It Simple

One problem that many businesses face is overextending themselves and putting out products that lack demand. Experts recommend that you list each product and process in place and ask whether they are contributing to the company’s primary goals. Focusing on what clients and customers want will help to improve your business’ main focus and make it more profitable.

Plan Ahead

It’s possible to get some excellent deals for your business when you plan ahead. Signing up ahead for services or purchasing in bulk can help to save money while also guarding against logistical errors which would mean paying extra for an urgent service.

Use Time-Saving Technology

The latest technology helps us to save money and time, so automation can often be well worth making an additional financial investment. For example, investing in online management systems and services can help to reduce the amount of time spent on endless paperwork.

Could Freelancers Be the Answer?

The remote and freelance economies are booming, so if you don’t actually need someone to be physically present in the office to carry out certain tasks, you may be better off finding an affordable freelance worker online. This could help you to get better value for money from your hire. It’ll also help you to reduce costs by only employing additional help when it’s actually required and for the precise number of hours necessary rather than having somebody constantly on staff.

Use Expert Advisors

One way to ensure that you are maximizing your business potential and cutting costs without cutting corners is to bring in professional business analysts and consultants who can help you to pinpoint savings opportunities while also enabling you to get maximum profit from your company. Check out Corporate Business Solutions reviews to find out more about how we can help you.

Our expert team can work with you to identify potential pressure points and determine ways to circumvent them so your business can stay profitable while shaving off unnecessary expenditures. Since every one of them has extensive experience in the world of business so you can rest assured that they’ll be well-placed to ensure the best possible outcomes for your organization, whatever its nature or size.

Are You Focusing On The Wrong Numbers For Your Business?

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If you’re considering how much your business is worth, it’s possible that you’re focusing on completely the wrong numbers. It’s true that a business’ value all boils down to one equation: the multiple of the profits that the acquirer would be willing to spend to buy your company. However, most business owners make the mistake of believing that the most effective way of improving their company’s value is to increase their profits. For this reason, they work on finding ways to increase the amount that they sell and, as they’re experts within their field, it’s only natural that clients and customers are keen to engage personally with them. That means spending a lot more time meeting clients face to face, speaking on the phone and traveling to increase their sales.

When a business owner adopts this model, it’s true that their company can grow slightly, Yet, the owner’s own life becomes considerably more challenging. Clients demand a lot more service and time. The business’ employees start to burn out. Soon, it begins to feel as if there aren’t sufficient hours in a day. Health starts to suffer, relationships become strained and revenue flatlines. All of this comes from working too hard and too much.

If this feels all-too-familiar, it’s time to look at which numbers really matter for your business.

Which Numbers Matter?

When you spend too much effort and time on increasing profits, the company’s overall value can actually diminish. So, what’s the solution? Remember that we said above that the important equation is a multiple of the profits that your business’ acquirer would be willing to spend to buy your company? You need to instead focus your efforts on driving that multiple. By doing this, your company’s value can actually grow, improving your profits and redeeming your freedom.

So, what is driving your multiple? Here, we take a closer look at some of the key factors that you should be concentrating on.

Your Differentiated Market Position

Buyers only purchase what they can’t easily create for themselves. Therefore, you can expect your business to be worth more to a potential purchaser if you’ve got a monopoly over what you’re selling, or you’re one of just a handful of companies with a license to supply the specific service or product within your market.

Plenty Of Runways

Although most business owners think that having a larger market share is something they should be striving towards, in the eyes of business acquirers, this may actually reduce the company’s value since most opportunities have already been stopped up.

Recurring Revenue

Buyers will need to know how well the business will cope if you leave. If there is plenty of recurring revenue, this will assure them that even when you’ve left the company the business will continue to thrive.

Well-Kept Financials

The profitability and size of your business matters to potential investors and the quality of bookkeeping is something that will be extremely significant to anyone who wants to buy your company.

Seeking Professional Advice

If you’re seeking an effective exit strategy to leave your business, it’s important to get help from a team of professional consultants. Visit CBS-CBS.com to find out more about how our expert team can give you the help and advice you need.